Wohlrab Trumpet
nighthawkmike
Wohlrab trumpet (made in Germany), and would like to find
out a little about the horn. It is the "American deLuxe"
model, and has all the earmarks of a top-of-the-line
instrument (monel valves, 1st-valve trigger, 3rd-valve
ring) in excellent condition. I would appreciate any and
all info you have! nighth...@hotmail.com Thanks!
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Mathias
nighthawkmike wrote:
> Trumpet historians.....HELP! I just acquired a very nice
> Wohlrab trumpet (made in Germany), and would like to find
> out a little about the horn. It is the "American deLuxe"
> model, and has all the earmarks of a top-of-the-line
> instrument (monel valves, 1st-valve trigger, 3rd-valve
> ring) in excellent condition. I would appreciate any and
> all info you have! nighth...@hotmail.com Thanks!
Mike,
Congratulations on your "new" horn. I'm no trumpet historian, but I own one of
these. Let me tell you about mine:
Wohlrab American DeLuxe. Bought in 1978; list price was, I believe DM
1350.-. I think it was their top-of-the-line horn, but it's possible
there was a pricier one. One thing that makes it less than a top-flight
instrument, at least from a construction point-of-view, is the two-piece bell.
You can see the seem as a yellowish band approximately where the engraving
ends..
My horn is a very dark and rich gold brass; the lacquer is still in excellent
condition. The lead pipe is completely made from nickel silver ("Neusilber"),
and there is extensive nickel silver trim. The tuning slide bend, the valve
body, and the bell are made from gold brass, some of the short connection pieces
(valve body to bell etc.) are yellow brass. It's a little overdone maybe with
the different colors, but I think it's a very beautiful horn. Quality of
workmanship seems to be excellent, too; I had to have one brace and one water
key resoldered; other than that, nothing was ever needed on the horn -- in over
20 years. I asked the repair guy if he knew anything about the company, and he
said he'd never heard of them, but he was really impressed by the quality.
A year ago, I asked around at a music store in Germany that used to carry
these horns and was told that the company has folded.
It's a VERY heavy-walled horn, weighs noticably more than your
regular Stradivarius. Put a piece of the bell flare between thumb and
forefinger and you can definitely feel the wall thickness.
The valves are outstanding; oil them every two or three weeks and forget
about them.
The horn has a very "solid" sound; beautiful orchestral quality. On the other
hand, it's not like the notes want to leap out of the bell, you (or at least I)
have to muscle it around a little. I had my teacher play it one time and he
didn't think it was hard to play (he wouldn't), but he told me he'd like to have
it for orchestral work in case I ever wanted to sell it. This from a guy who
wasn't interested in an early Elkhart Strad I had on approval a while ago. But
the man has no power or endurance issue anyway, so he goes for whatever gives
him the best sound for the job.
Anyway, that's about all I know about the horn. I'd like to know what you think
about it, or if anybody else has any experience with this company... c'mon guys,
I know there are some Germans on this list. If I find myself with too much
time, I might put up a picture and post a link; it really is a beautiful horn.
Take care,
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI